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called night”. But darkness is not some substance, but an accident; for it is the privation of light. For the air does not have light in its substance. Therefore, God called this very privation of light from the air, darkness. And it is not the substance of the air that is darkness, but the privation of light, which indicates an accident rather than a substance. But the night was not called first, but the day; so that the day is first and the night is last. Therefore, the night follows the day, and from the beginning of the day until the other day is one day-and-night; for Scripture says: “And there was evening and there was morning, one day”. Therefore, in the three days, by the pouring forth and contracting of the light by the divine command, both the day and the night came to be. But on the fourth day God made the great luminary, that is, the sun, for the beginning and dominion of the day (for through it the day is constituted; for it is day when the sun is above the earth, and the duration of the day is the course of the sun above the earth from east to west) and the lesser luminary, that is, the moon, and the stars for the beginning and dominion of the night, to give light to it. But it is night when the sun is under the earth, and the duration of the night is the course of the sun under the earth from west to east. The moon therefore and the stars were appointed to give light to the night, not as being always under the earth during the day (for there are also stars in the heaven above the earth during the day), but the sun, by its more powerful brilliance, hides them along with the moon and does not allow them to be seen. In these luminaries the Creator deposited the first-created light, not as being at a loss for other light, but so that that light should not remain idle; for a luminary is not the light itself, but a receptacle of light. From these luminaries they say there are seven planets. And they say that they move with a motion contrary to that of the heaven, for which reason they also called them planets; for they say that the heaven moves from east to west, but the planets from west to east; but that the heaven, by its swifter motion, carries along with it the seven planets. The names of the seven planets are these: Helios #502, Selene #209, Zeus #200, Hermes #208, Ares #210, Aphrodite #204, Kronos #206. And that in each zone of the heaven there is one of the seven planets; in the first, that is, the highest, Kronos #206, in the second Zeus #200, in the third Ares #210, in the fourth Helios #502, in the fifth Aphrodite #204, in the sixth Hermes #208, and in the seventh and lowest, Selene #209. And they run an unceasing course, which the Creator appointed for them, and as He established them, as the divine David says: “The moon and the stars, which You have established”; for by saying “You have established” he signified the fixed and unchangeable nature of the order and succession given to them by God. For He appointed them for seasons and for days and for years. For through the sun the four turnings are constituted. And the first is the vernal; for in it God made all things, and it shows that even until now the budding of flowers happens in it. This is an equinoctial turning; for it makes both the day and the night twelve hours long. This is constituted from the middle rising of the sun, being temperate, increasing the blood, being warm and moist and by itself mediating between winter and summer, being warmer and drier than winter, but colder and moister than summer. And this season extends from March 21 to June 24. Then, as the rising of the sun gets higher toward the more northern parts, the summer turning follows, mediating between spring and autumn, having warmth from the spring, and dryness from the autumn; for it is warm and dry and increases the yellow bile. And this one has the longest day of fifteen hours, and the very shortest night with a duration of nine hours. And this also extends from June 24 until the month of September 25. Then again, as the sun returns to the middle rising, the autumnal turning succeeds the summer turning

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ἐκάλεσε νύκτα». Σκότος δέ ἐστιν οὐκ οὐσία τις, ἀλλὰ συμβεβηκός· φωτὸς γάρ ἐστι στέρησις. Ὁ γὰρ ἀὴρ οὐκ ἐν τῇ οὐσίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἔχει τὸ φῶς. Αὐτὸ οὖν τὸ ἐστερῆσθαι τὸν ἀέρα φωτὸς σκότος ἐκάλεσεν ὁ θεός. Καὶ οὐχὶ ἡ οὐσία τοῦ ἀέρος ἐστὶ σκότος, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ φωτὸς στέρησις, ὅπερ συμβεβηκὸς μᾶλλον δηλοῖ ἤπερ οὐσίαν. Οὐκ ἐκλήθη δὲ πρώτη ἡ νύξ, ἀλλ' ἡ ἡμέρα· ὥστε πρώτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἡμέρα καὶ ἐσχάτη ἡ νύξ. Ἀκολουθεῖ οὖν ἡ νὺξ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τῆς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς ἄλλης ἡμέρας ἓν νυχθήμερόν ἐστιν· ἔφη γὰρ ἡ γραφή· «Καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωί, ἡμέρα μία». Ἐν μὲν οὖν ταῖς τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἀναχεομένου καὶ συστελλομένου τοῦ φωτὸς τῷ θείῳ προστάγματι ἥ τε ἡμέρα καὶ ἡ νὺξ ἐγίνετο. Τῇ δὲ τετάρτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν φωστῆρα τὸν μέγαν ἤτοι τὸν ἥλιον εἰς ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας τῆς ἡμέρας (δι' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἡ ἡμέρα συνίσταται· ἡμέρα γάρ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ τὸν ἥλιον ὑπὲρ γῆν εἶναι, καὶ διάστημα ἡμέρας ἐστὶν ὁ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς μέχρι δύσεως ὑπὲρ γῆν τοῦ ἡλίου δρόμος) καὶ τὸν φωστῆρα τὸν ἐλάσσω ἤτοι τὴν σελήνην καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας εἰς ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας τῆς νυκτὸς τοῦ φωτίζειν αὐτήν. Νὺξ δέ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ τὸν ἥλιον ὑπὸ γῆν εἶναι, καὶ διάστημα νυκτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀπὸ δύσεως μέχρις ἀνατολῆς ὑπὸ γῆν τοῦ ἡλίου δρόμος. Ἡ σελήνη τοίνυν καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες ἐτάχθησαν τὴν νύκτα φωτίζειν, οὐχ ὡς τῇ ἡμέρᾳ πάντοτε ὑπὸ γῆν ὄντες (εἰσὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀστέρες ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ὑπὲρ γῆν), ἀλλ' ὁ ἥλιος τούτους ἅμα καὶ τὴν σελήνην τῇ σφοδροτέρᾳ αἴγλῃ ἀποκρύπτων οὐκ ἐᾷ φαίνεσθαι. Τοῖς φωστῆρσι τούτοις τὸ πρωτόκτιστον φῶς ὁ δημιουργὸς ἐναπέθετο οὐχ ὡς ἀπορῶν ἄλλου φωτός, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἀργὸν ἐκεῖνο μείνῃ τὸ φῶς· φωστὴρ γάρ ἐστιν οὐκ αὐτὸ τὸ φῶς, ἀλλὰ φωτὸς δοχεῖον. Ἐκ τούτων τῶν φωστήρων ἑπτὰ πλανήτας φασί. Καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτοὺς ἐναντίαν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κινεῖσθαι κίνησιν, διὸ καὶ πλανήτας αὐτοὺς ἐκάλεσαν· τὸν μὲν γὰρ οὐρανόν φασιν ἐξ ἀνατολῶν ἐπὶ δυσμὰς κινεῖσθαι, τοὺς δὲ πλανήτας ἐκ δυσμῶν ἐπὶ ἀνατολάς· συμπεριφέρειν δὲ τὸν οὐρανὸν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κινήσει ὡς ὀξυτέρᾳ τοὺς ἑπτὰ πλανήτας. Τῶν δὲ ἑπτὰ πλανητῶν τὰ ὀνόματά ἐστι ταῦτα· Ἥλιος #502, Σελήνη #209, Ζεύς #200, Ἑρ μῆς #208, Ἄρης #210, Ἀφροδίτη #204, Κρόνος #206. Εἶναι δὲ καθ' ἑκάστης ζώνην τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἕνα τῶν ἑπτὰ πλανητῶν· ἐν μὲν τῇ πρώτῃ ἤτοι ἀνωτέρᾳ τὸν Κρόνον #206, ἐν δὲ τῇ δευτέρᾳ τὸν ∆ία #200, ἐν δὲ τῇ τρίτῃ τὸν Ἄρεα #210, ἐν δὲ τῇ τετάρτῃ τὸν Ἥλιον #502, ἐν δὲ τῇ πέμπτῃ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην #204, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἕκτῃ τὸν Ἑρμῆν #208, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ καὶ κατωτέρᾳ τὴν Σελήνην #209. Τρέχουσι δὲ δρόμον ἄληκτον, ὃν ὁ δημιουργὸς ἔταξεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ καθὼς ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτά, ὥς φησιν ὁ θεῖος ∆αυίδ· «Σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας, ἃ σὺ ἐθεμελίωσας»· διὰ γὰρ τοῦ εἰπεῖν «ἐθεμελίωσας» ἐσήμανε τὸ πάγιον καὶ ἀμετάβλητον τῆς ὑπὸ θεοῦ δοθείσης αὐτοῖς τάξεώς τε καὶ εἱρμοῦ. Ἔταξε γὰρ αὐτοὺς εἰς καιροὺς καὶ εἰς ἡμέρας καὶ εἰς ἐνιαυτούς. ∆ιὰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ ἡλίου αἱ τέσσαρες τροπαὶ συνίστανται. Καὶ πρώτη μὲν ἡ ἐαρινή· ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὰ σύμπαντα καὶ δηλοῖ τὸ καὶ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἐν αὐτῇ τῶν ἀνθῶν τὴν βλάστησιν γίνεσθαι. Ἥτις ἰσημερινὴ τροπή ἐστιν· δώδεκα γὰρ ὡρῶν τήν τε ἡμέραν καὶ τὴν νύκτα καθίστησιν. Αὕτη ἐκ τῆς μέσης ἀνατολῆς τοῦ ἡλίου συνίσταται, εὐκραὴς οὖσα, αἵματος αὐξητική, θερμὴ καὶ ὑγρὰ ὑπάρχουσα καὶ δι' ἑαυτῆς μεσιτεύουσα τῷ χειμῶνί τε καὶ τῷ θέρει, τοῦ μὲν χειμῶνος θερμοτέρα καὶ ξηροτέρα, τοῦ δὲ θέρους ψυχροτέρα καὶ ὑγροτέρα. ∆ιατείνει δὲ αὕτη ἡ ὥρα ἀπὸ Μαρτίου καʹ μέχρις Ἰουνίου κδʹ. Εἶτα ὑψουμένης τῆς τοῦ ἡλίου ἀνατολῆς ἐπὶ τὰ βορειότερα μέρη ἡ θερινὴ τροπὴ διαδέχεται, με σιτεύουσα τῷ τε ἔαρι καὶ τῷ μετοπώρῳ, ἐκ μὲν τοῦ ἔαρος τὸ θερμὸν ἔχουσα, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ μετοπώρου τὸ ξηρόν· θερμὴ γάρ ἐστι καὶ ξηρὰ καὶ τὴν ξανθὴν αὔξει χολήν. Αὕτη δὲ μεγίστην μὲν τὴν ἡμέραν ἔχει ὡρῶν πεντεκαίδεκα, τὴν δὲ νύκτα πάνυ σμικροτάτην ὡρῶν ἐννέα διάστημα ἔχουσαν. Καὶ αὕτη δὲ διατείνει ἀπὸ Ἰουνίου κδʹ μέχρι μηνὸς Σεπτεμβρίου κεʹ. Εἶτα πάλιν εἰς τὴν μέσην ἀνατολὴν τοῦ ἡλίου ἐπανιόντος ἡ μετοπωρινὴ τροπὴ τὴν θερινὴν τροπὴν ἀμείβει